GAMEDAY'07 A-Day game preview The Saban Era At the end of g Spring practice recap spring training, g A talk with Terry Saban Saban to make g Photo feature: Saban’s arrival A-Day debut IfIf youyou wantwant toto fitfit in,in, you’reyou’re goinggoing toto havehave toto standstand outout Forget driving to Birmingham to shop for your favorite brands - WaterMark Place Outlet Center has all the brands you want to look your best this Fall - all at an average of 40% off the typical retail price. Score this season’s hottest looks without waiting for a sale! All the fashion at about half the price. GAMEDAY ■ Friday, April 20, 2007 1 ON THE INSIDE ON THE COVER Photo feature On the cover is Alabama Football Take a look back at the arrival of head coach Nick Saban, the new Crimson Tide head coach Nick Crimson Tide leader. Saban to the UA campus. Saban’s arrival at the Capstone on Pages 2-3 Jan. 4 brought a great deal of excite- ment to Tuscaloosa and the state. After going through offseason workouts and spring training under Saban’s leadership, fans look to A- Day to serve as a showcase for what Tracking progress they can expect during the 2007 sea- After the offseason training and son as they get a glimpse of Saban’s spring practice, catch up with how offense, defense and sideline man- the Tide is faring under its new ner for the first time. head coach. In this special A-Day GameDay Pages 4-5 edition, the staff of The Crimson White gives you all the details of the on and off the field Alabama Football happenings. CW/ T.G. Paschal Talking with Terry Saban Terry Saban, the wife of head coach Nick Saban, talks about their family, A-DAY INFORMATION the move to Tuscaloosa and her Schedule charity involvement. Gates to Bryant-Denny Stadium will A-Day to help with relief effors Pages 14-15 open at 11:30 a.m on Saturday. Alabama and United Way of West At 12:15 p.m. at Denny Chimes, fans Alabama will raise funds at the game can join Joe Kines in honoring 2006 for disaster relief to aid the citizens of team captains Le’Ron McClain and Enterprise victimized by a tornado on Juwan Simpson in the Walk of Fame March 1. ceremony. The City of Enterprise Tornado Relief THE CRIMSON WHITE STAFF Kickoff for the A-Day spring football Fund will consist of donation stations game is set for 1:05 p.m. at the stadium. to be set up at 38 points of entry to ■ Marlin Caddell - editor, [email protected], 348-8049 Admission is free. Bryant-Denny Stadium during the ■ Mike Faulk - managing editor: news event. Donation stations will begin tak- ■ Callie Corley - managing editor: design TV and radio ing collections at 11:30 a.m. and will ■ Jessie Patterson - sports editor The game will be televised live by stop around 1 p.m. Comcast Sports South with Chris Those wishing to donate to the fund ■ Dan Sellers - assistant sports editor Stewart handling play-by-play, for- should do so with a personal check or ■ T.G. Paschal - photo editor mer Crimson Tide quarterback Tyler cash at any of the donation stations in ■ Amy Owens - chief copy editor Watts providing color commentary and the stadium. Checks should be made ■ Cassie Edwards - advertising manager, 348-8044 Antonio Langham reporting from the payable to United Way of West Alabama sideline. designated for the Enterprise Tornado ■ A.J. Johnson - creative services manager, 348-8042 The game can be heard on more than Relief Fund. ■ Whitney Gullett - Advertising Manager assistant & 40 radio stations in the Southeast as Funds collected Saturday will be spe- national account executive well. The Crimson Tide Sports Network cifically designated as contributions to ■ Khalid Al-Qahtani - account executive will broadcast the game with its full the Enterprise Tornado Fund, ensuring crew: Eli Gold for play-by-play, Ken that all funds raised will go directly to ■ Leigh Anne Landis - account executive Stabler for analysis and Tom Roberts those in need of assistance. ■ Jesse Scroggins - account executive for sideline updates. CTSN’s coverage After all funds are collected, funds ■ J.T. Braswell- account executive of the game will begin at 12:45 p.m., will be distributed to those in need. ■ Laura Pickard - advertising coordinator, 348-8995 just 20 minutes before kickoff of the No costs of any kind will be taken out Golden Flake A-Day game. of the funds raised. Elephant Wear • Alabama "A" and "Elephant" Logos • Pants Now Available In Red/White Panels • Short Sleeve Knit Shirts • Short and Long Sleeve Sport Shirts • Hats, Belts, and Ties 1218 University Blvd 752-2990 2 Friday, April 20, 2007 ■ GAMEDAY Saban joins the ’Bama family CW/ T.G. Paschal ABOVE: Crimson Tide head football coach Nick Saban’s airplane lands in Tuscaloosa on Jan. 3. FAR LEFT: A crowd of fans await the arrival of Saban’s airplane while holding signs that cheer on Alabama’s next football coach. LEFT: Saban walks off the airplane in Tuscaloosa toward the crowd of cheering fans waiting for him. GAMEDAY ■ Friday, April 20, 2007 3 CW/ T.G. Paschal TOP LEFT: Newly hired Crimson Tide head football coach Nick Saban speaks at his first Alabama press conference in the Naylor Stone Media Room on Jan. 4. BOTTOM LEFT: Saban walks across the field at the Thomas-Drew Practice Facility during a spring workout. ABOVE: Saban works with cornerbacks in a drill. FREEAlabama Tickets! “Just kidding.” • $15.95 + tax OIL CHANGE w/ student ID • We service all makes and models. • Up to five quarts of oil • Shuttle available to and from campus TUSCALOOSA 2502 Skyland Blvd. E. Monday - Friday Downtown Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa, Al 35405 7:30 - 5:30 Everything you want and more. By appointment only 525 Greensboro Avenue (205) 752-8113 752-6931 4 Friday, April 20, 2007 ■ GAMEDAY Saban inherits depleted front seven BY DAN SELLERS Assistant Sports Editor ■ [email protected] Alabama head coach Nick Saban was clear about one thing after the first day of practice — the front seven on defense don’t have a lot of depth. A 2006 squad that was forced to play with three down linemen most of the season because of depth issues lost almost all of the candidates, which made the position even more depleted by the time Saban took over. Dominic Lee, Jeremy Clark and J.P. Adams, who took the majority of the snaps at nose tackle last season, have all graduated. With vir- tually no tackles returning, and the only one who has logged snaps — Lorenzo Washington — injured, Saban was forced to make a posi- tion change. Freshman Byron Walton is also a candidate at nose tackle, but like Washington, he has been limited in the spring because of injury. Third-string center Brian Motley made the switch to defensive tackle, with Saban’s praise, the players’ praise and scrimmage statis- tics seeming to indicate the move was a great one. “It’s a little bit more physical, a lot more responsibility,” Motley said. “I feel a little bit more comfortable at defense. When I came up I played center, where I never played before. “I had a hard time snapping and getting on blocks and stuff. With defense I can just fly to the ball. I didn’t have a problem with offense; I was just having trouble at center. I can play either one.” Motley recorded 11 tackles, including three for a loss during the first scrimmage, and has been running with the first unit all spring. “He is a strong and determined kid,” defensive end Wallace Gilberry said. “He switched to defense and has been excellent. He has good enough feet to come over to defense and play tackle. He has done a tremendous job.” Behind him, however, the depth is shaky. Converted offensive linemen Joshua Curry and Layne Rinks line up behind Motley. Saban experimented with another offensive lineman during the first half of spring practice. He moved Taylor Pharr from his tackle position to defensive tackle, but three practices later, Pharr was back with the offensive linemen. Former middle linebacker Matt Collins has also been moved to the defensive line. CW/ T.G. Paschal Saban’s first signing class was heavy on defensive linemen, includ- Senior linebacker Ezekial Knight runs through a drill during spring practice. Knight, ing Hoover’s Kerry Murphy and Josh Chapman as well as Luther who moved from wideout to defensive end last fall, moved to outside linebacker Davis. this spring. Knight sat on most of last season with a heart-murmur related issue. The linebacker depth is almost equally as troubling for Saban, who will employ a scheme that uses four linebackers at least part of the time. Prince Hall is the only returning starter for the linebacker corps Saban said Hall and Darren Mustin, a Middle Tennessee State with the loss of Terrence Jones and Juwan Simpson to graduation. transfer who saw most of his time in 2006 on special teams, were Paul W. Bryant Museum ‘Where the Season Never Ends’ Across from Coleman Coliseum Open 7 days a week 9:00 am - 4:00 pm 205-348-4668 www.bryant.ua.edu GAMEDAY ■ Friday, April 20, 2007 5 the frontrunners at the two inside linebacker positions, but depth was linemen and four linebackers), but the Tide will showcase a lot of its thin behind those players. defense from the 4-3 (four down linemen and three linebackers). On the outside, Saban has implemented the “jack” position, which “It’s not a different defense,” Saban said of the 3-4 scheme.